L's First Move
by Daigoro
Summary: Threatened by the emergence of a new serial killer known to the Internet as "Kira," L contemplates the method of murder prior to his televised confrontation.


**L's First Move**

L hung up the phone, allowing an inaudible sigh to escape his lips. He was positive the killings were connected, and if he was right, then this case would likely be the most interesting one to catch his attention. How could over fifty criminals die of heart attacks in the time frame of three days? It seemed unthinkable, but it was real. Deciding he would get nowhere by contemplating how realistic his ideas were, the world's greatest detective once again picked up the phone.

"Watari, what have you found out for me?" he asked.

"It seemed that all those that died were almost all unrelated in any way other than the fact that they were criminals," came his faithful servant's reply. "Either the phrase 'reap what you sow' has become a disease, or we have a resourceful vigilante on the loose."

"Nothing more or less than a mass murderer," L said simply. "Thanks, update me as soon as you find out something new."

Hanging up, he sat back into his chair, in his usual odd way of sitting, feet planted on the cushion closely near his rear, knees curled to his chest. Interpol weren't complete idiots; they would catch on to all of this soon enough. They would make their findings public, and from the shadows, L would wait for them to make their next move. But the problem stood at how much of their information release would benefit this murderer, and how much would hinder L himself. He scribbled himself a note to keep Watari close to their headquarters, and ask Wedy to plant a few bugs in select areas of it. Leaning back into his chair, he realized one thing that didn't seem right. All of these well-known criminals had been killed, but he had access to even worse convicts known only by the criminal underworld. Why were criminals in the system being massacred by the dozens, but organized and high security criminals that very few people knew about were still breathing?

Several options came to mind that were eliminated as quickly as he had thought it in the first place. He thought for a moment the killer has to be within a certain range to successfully kill somebody, but he quickly scolded himself for this idea. Criminals worldwide were dying, he could already tell, and unless he was trying to track down a god, there was no way this could be. He nearly fell out of his chair when he realized the only probable and logical, though unbelievable answer. His killer could kill his target from anywhere in the world, provided he had their identity. How much of the identity would be needed, L did not know. But this was a huge clue and one that he planned to practice on quickly.

L wrote this down into his journal where he recorded scenarios that came to mind. He rewarded himself for his intelligence with an extremely large parfait Watari had prepared for him before leaving. Chewing the pudding and cool whip combination, he began looking on the supercomputer for some of his closed cases that might have a usable convict. He quickly found his pick. Lind L. Taylor.

Lind L. Taylor was a serial rapist that produced 11 victims before L finally identified him as the culprit and led the police to him. While in prison, his cellmate tried to kill him in a blind rage, resulting in his sequential death at the hands of the guards. Taylor would later learn that his cellmate's daughter was one of Taylor's victims. Seeking redemption, he pledged to spend the rest of his life at the police's beck and call. This pledge had been completely unheeded up to this point, but L knew that with his execution date in a few days, Taylor would give his full coöperation to bring another criminal to justice. And because his middle name was L., this could pass for the name identification that might be usable by this mysterious murderer. If he was going to risk a person's life, he might as well be thorough in discovering the full extent of the murder weapon's methodology. Disappointed to find the last of his parfait finished, he picked up the phone, called the prison, and asked them to put Taylor on the phone. After about five minutes, they pulled Taylor into the room.

"Hello L," Taylor's voice echoed through the computer. "Wanted to say goodbye before I am executed?"

L chose to ignore this question and asked through his computerized voice, "Taylor, have you heard of the recent criminal killings that have been occurring throughout the world?"

"I've heard the guards speak of heart attacks, but nothing of killings."

"I believe that these heart attacks are the result of murder. I have no way to prove this though, and I would like your help in a few days."

"Why me? If criminals are dying won't I be next?"

"I believe the identity of the victim needs to be known, but I don't know to what extent, which is where you come in. To be frank, your life is coming to a close either way, and I think you could play a vital role in my investigation, and save other criminals from certain death."

"I see, so you have some theories you want to test publicly, and I am to be your shield?"

"That's the gist of it, yes." L replied bluntly. A normal person would have probably given a more sugar-coated answer, but this was the way L always did things. And of course, it proved an effective method.

"Fine, tell me when you need me, and I'll do my best to assist your investigation."

"Thank you, Taylor," L said. He hung up and walked over to the refrigerator. Pouring himself a very modest cup of tea, he dumped a cup of sugar cubes in it and sipped thoughtfully. All that was left now was for this new serial killer, dubbed by internet viewers as "Kira," to make his move.


End file.
